Game.



No. 673,535. 4 Patented May 7, I90]. R. W. CONANT.

GAME.

:Application filed June 28, 1900.)

(No Modem 2 ShaetsSheet l.

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No. 673,535. Patented May 7, laol.

R. w. CDNANT.

GAME.

(Application filed June 28. 1909.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Witnesses. Iiavwz aw: I w

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROGER W. CONANT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,535, dated May '7, 1901.

Application filed June 28, 1900. Serial No. 21,948. (No models To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROGER W. CONANT, a

' citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Games, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. 7

This invention relates to a game especially designed and adapted to be played indoors, and particularly in the parlor or other room of a house. I

In accordance with this invention I employ an automatically-returning roller provided with an index or pointer and with a series of divisions or numbers with which the index cooperates and which correspond to spaces formed or outlined on the floor or other flat surface. The game is played by standing a predetermined distance from the spaces, and after turning the index on the roller and allowing the same to come to rest the roller is rolled along the floor toward the spaces, and the object is to cause the roller to stop on its forward movement in the space corresponding to the indication on the roller at which the index has stopped. The roller is constructed so that its forward movement stores up energy sufficient to cause it to return to the player. The game is won by the player who succeeds in rolling the roller into the designated spaces the greatest number of times in a given number of trials. These and other features of this invention will be point--- ed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure l is a plan view representing a game embodying this invention; Fig. 2, an index View of the roller; Fig. 3, afront or side elevation of the roller; and Fig. 4, a longitudinal section of the roller on the line 4 4:, Fig. 2.

The automatic returning roller with which to practice the game consists of a cylinder a, provided with heads I) 0, through openings in which extend the ends of one or more elastic bands d, secured to the said heads by pins e, and upon which is hung'by staples f bar g, preferably of wood, to which is secured on its under side a piece or bar h, of metal, constituting a weight. The staples f embrace both pieces or members of the elastic bands, and

the bar 9 at or near its center is provided with a projection t', which may be a small nail or brad, which extends upward between the pieces or members of the elastic bands.

The cylinder 0. is provided at its opposite ends with capsj It, one of which, as k, is provided on its end with spaces herein marked 1, 2, 3, (see Fig. 2;) but other indications may be employed and the number may be increased or diminished. The cap k carries a revoluble index or pointer m, adapted to turn on a stud '21..

Upon the floor of a room or on a fiat surface, such as a table, is marked 01? or formed a series of spaces, which may be numbered 1, 2, 3, as in Fig. 1, to correspond with the marks or numbers on the end of the roller with which the pointer or index cooperates, or the number on the spaces may be omitted. The spaces 1 2 3 may be formed by pieces 0 of flexible material, preferably tape, arranged substantially parallel to one another and to a tape 10 on the floor, and the said pieces of tape may be held flat by suitable weights 5.

for instance, three-and the player succeeding in rolling the roller the highest number of times so that it stops on its forward movement in the space corresponding to the number on the roller at which the pointer stops after being set in motion by the player previous to' each roll wins the game. In other words, a player standing back of the line q strikes the pointer or index m and allows it to come to rest, which, as shown in Fig. 2, is at the division marked 3. He then rolls the roller along the floor toward the marked spaces and endeavors to roll the roller with just sufficient force so that it will stop on its forward movement in the space marked 3. If the roller stops on its forward movement in any other spaceas, for instance, in the space marked 2 or beyond the marked spaces, as indicated by dotted linesa miss is counted. The roller on its forward movement winds up the elastic bands and stores up sufficient energy to automatically return to the starting position, whereupon the same player or a new one tries to score. It is also a part of the game to roll the roller so that on its return movement it will recross the nearer boundary-line of the designated space, and if the roller is rolled by the player so that on its return movement it does not recross the nearer boundary-line a miss is counted even if the roller stops on its forward movement in the designated space.

The weight is freely suspended from the elastic bands near their fixed ends, so that the bands will sag a minimum amount, and thus enable a cylinder or roller of minimum diameter to be employed, and this method of suspending the weight also permits free movementof the portions of the bands on which the weight rests with relation to the weight itself, which avoids drawing the weight to one side of its normal or proper position, which would cause friction between the weight and the end of the cylinder and impede the motion of the roller.

I claim- 1. A game apparatus comprising a pluwith indications and with a pointer or index cooperating with said indications, and means within the roller operated by the forward movement of the roller to store up energy to" automatically return said roller to its starting position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- ROGER W., CONANT.

Witnesses:

JAs. H. CHURCHILL, J. M RPHY. 

